Getting It Straight
by Sahara Storm
Summary: [Oneshot, ChadKarin] Karin just needs to get some things straight with Chad. The world isn’t ending, they’re just dating. [Sequel to 'First Date'.]


**Title:** Getting It Straight

**Fandom:** Bleach

**Pairing:** Chad/Karin

**Rating: **PG-13

**Word Count:** 1,297

**Summary/Description: **Karin just needs to get some things straight with Chad. The world isn't ending, they're just dating.

**Warning/Spoilers:** Karin's potty mouth. No spoilers.

**A/N:** Kinda a sequel to my first and only other Chad/Karin, _First Date_. Purely for fun.

**Disclaimer:** I hereby claim my dis and er.

* * *

"Is this a date?"

Most people might have laughed, hearing Karin bark out the question like she was an interrogator, eyes drawn and features serious, and furthermore, seeing her immediately thereafter take a bite out of her hotdog, and chew like she meant it. The bit of ketchup that caught the tip of her nose could only be considered a catalyst to the aforementioned laughter.

Luckily, if ever one tried to define Sado Yasutora, they wouldn't begin anywhere near 'most people'; not if they had a lick of sense.

Chad only glanced down at the girl, realised that she had finally realised, paid for the hotdog, and nodded.

She didn't react like he had expected, which mostly had a lot to do with yelling and anger, and _'what the shit is wrong with you?'_ and _'well, you might have thought to tell _me_ something about this.' _She simply gave a nod in return, and swallowed before she spoke.

"I thought as much, after Tuesday night, with you being all weird and crap. Wait, I want to get something to drink." She fished about in her pocket for some money, but by the time she came up with a five, Chad was already handing her a Pepsi, and collecting his change from the vendor. She glared at him, but decided to save the many times repeated 'chivalry is stone cold, sleeping with the fishes, pushing up daises, mingling with the Shinigami, honest to God _dead'_ rant for later. Right now, she wanted to get things straight.

"So, platonic bull-crap aside, you like me, right?" While she waited for him to answer, she took a drink of the soda. She didn't have to wait long; he only nodded again. She seemed to be expecting that reply.

"Good, because maybe I like you too. Which is just as well, because otherwise it would have been annoying, and sad, and creepy for you to be all awash in non-platonic feelings for me while I was all 'eh' about you." Another bite reduced the hotdog to half its size, and Chad decided that credit was definitely due. Forty five seconds into the conversation and she hadn't started glaring at inanimate objects or scuffing her shoes on the ground. Great improvement from Tuesday night. She'd been thinking about this, it seemed.

When she spoke next, she had a no-nonsense tone of voice that reminded Chad of Occhi-san on a bad day.

"Okay, let's just get some things straight here." They were walking now, down the sidewalk on a premeditated path to the Urahara Shouten (a meeting, or summat). Chad's large hands were in his pockets, and Karin gesticulated casually with her food as she talked.

"Nothing changes from before. We go to see games, we hang out, we kick spiritual ass. Try holding my hand in public and I'll break your fingers." She glanced up at him sharply as she took another bite. The Mexican, feeling like she wanted a verification of his understanding, said,

"No problem." He noticed that she had further smudged the ketchup on her nose, but didn't dare smile. And thank God his hair hid his eyes, so she couldn't see the tiny bit of amusement in them.

"Good," she said brusquely, like an army general. "It won't be any different. The world isn't ending; we're just dating." She said it decisively, but couldn't help the slight warping of her features when she said it out loud. _Dating_. She grimaced a bit, and sorta looked like she had swallowed something large and many-legged. Chad was one of the few people that knew not to be offended by the expression. It was just Karin.

She wasn't done with her stipulations.

"Ichi-nii doesn't get to know until I say so. He actually asked me, last Tuesday, if we were dating or something, but he was just kidding around. I don't think he expects it to be true. So, when I do tell him, don't be surprised if he tries to kick your ass out of reflex or something. You know Ichigo."

Chad nodded. He knew Ichigo. He expected no less than a little bit of surprise, maybe some anger out of his best friend, and would not begrudge him a shot if he felt like he needed to take it. It _was_ his little sister, after all.

The brunette continued, keeping up her business-like register.

"My jackass of a father doesn't get to know point-blank; not if we can help it. Because if he gets on his 'my little girl is growing up, I'm so proud, Masaki, I wish you were here to see this' train, so help me, I'll kick him in his head. Through a wall."

Chad was also one of the few people who knew that that wasn't an exaggeration. She could, would, and had.

"Yuzu gets to know, first." The way Karin said it, there had never been any question or doubt about it. "She'll probably bake a cake, and try to have a party or something. Bear with her, would you?" Despite the slightly aggravated tone she took, Chad could still make out the world of affection that Karin's voice held for her sister.

"The others don't need to know," the violet-eyed girl continued, referring to the rest of the slapdash Karakura posse, and their Shinigami comrades. "But I guess I don't really care if they know or not."

The large man grunted his affirmation. Satisfied, Karin finished up her meal in one huge bite, and pitched the hotdog wrapper and the soda bottle in the nearest trash can. It took her a while to chew and swallow it all. When she did:

"Right. So, it's official. No more skirting around the issue like idiots." She slid him an oblique look. "Right?"

"Right." And because he figured she would have to start getting used to it anyway, he leaned down and kissed her cheek, without ever breaking his stride. While he was at it, he used his hand to get rid of the ketchup on her nose.

She gave an angry little gasp in surprise, and whipped sideways, pretty much filleting him with a glare. She gave a hissing, _'Not in public, you dumb-ass!'_ Before she could gather up enough momentum to finish it off with a sound punch to his arm, they were in front of the Urahara Shouten, and Tessai, dour-faced and obsequious as usual, was greeting them.

"Yasutora-kun, Karin-kun. Please, come right in. The others are waiting." He turned on his heel, stepping inside so as to lead to the way.

Karin elbowed Chad in his rock-hard stomach, gave him a venomous look that promised that he was going to get it later, and followed the shopkeeper's helper into the store.

The man smiled, still a little bemused by the maelstrom that was Kurosaki Karin. The prominent, and largely sensible part of him told him that he had no idea what he was getting into, involving himself with this spirited warrior of a girl. She was everything that he wasn't, and though their friendship had worked out just fine for the past six years, this was on a whole other level.

It was quite a good thing that he had stopped listening to that sensible part of him sometime around the day he had met Kurosaki Ichigo.

Anyway, it was already a done deal. Karin had already decided that she was going to go through with this, and if he even tried to back out, it would be all seven levels of hell on him, all at once. Nope, Karin had already made her mind up. And besides, so had he.

This was going to be interesting.

He gave a silent chuckle, ducked his head to avoid the doorway, and entered the shop.

* * *

**A/N: **WUZZAH. First draft completed in under ninety minutes. How ya like me now, bitches?

(You have to understand my exultation. I NEVER finish anything of this length in less than a month. If I'm feeling particularly inspired, I might choke something out in a couple of weeks, maybe even a day, but an hour and a half…? UN-FRICKING-HEARD OF for the piece of laziness that is Sahara Storm.)

More to come soon. But it'll be in a separate fic.


End file.
